The World’ s Eye
The Eye of Budda by Ted Wandzilak, MD
I became fascinated with symbols of the human eye and its significance in different cultures throughout history. This began when Dr. Albert Potts, Chair of the University of Louisville department of Ophthalmology, gave me a copy of his book The World’ s Eye when I was a first-year resident in 1982.
Most every culture since pre-history has had a symbolic meaning for the eye. During the years 2012-2014, I commissioned Louisville sculpture artist David Caudill to create a series of stainless-steel eyes, under my specifications, which were significant to diverse cultures throughout history. These sculptures are displayed in the courtyard of my St. Matthews home.
The iconic Eye of Horus was a powerful symbol in ancient Egyptian mythology. It is also known as the Wadjet Eye, derived from the goddess Wadjet who personified protection. The Eye of Horus is an apotropaic eye, an eye which could turn away evil. The god Horus lost an eye, and the god Thoth restored the eye; and thus the Eye of Horus became a symbol of healing and wholeness. The Eye of Horus is in the form of a falcon which was Horus’ s favorite animal. It was common for the Egyptian Pharaohs to have the Eye of Horus on their sarcophagus for protection in the afterlife.
The Eye of Providence, or all-seeing eye, is a symbol displaying a triangle surrounded by rays of light or a halo. It represents divine providence whereby the eye of God watches over humanity. In Christian theology it represents the Holy Trinity. The Eye of Providence was adopted as part of the symbolism featured on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the U. S. On the front side of the Great Seal is the bald eagle; on the reverse side is the Eye of Providence. Both the front and the back of the Great Seal can be seen on the reverse side of the dollar bill.
The word Nazar comes from Arabic which means to watch over and protect. A typical Nazar is made of glass featuring concentric circles in blue, white and black. Each color of a Nazar has a specific meaning symbolizing different aspects of protection. The Evil Eye is deeply embedded in Turkish culture and has been around for centuries. It is believed a curse could be placed on someone just with a gaze upon
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